T-Mobile customers on eligible plans will get access to the new Quibi streaming service free for one year. Quibi is due to start streaming on April 6 and is a streaming service designed with mobile in mind.
Quibi has been in development for some time now and is looking to position itself as something a little different to the other major services. For one thing, it is almost purpose-designed with mobile in mind and this not only means in terms of short clip content, but even the orientation. Quibi is a mobile-first streaming service and one which is expected to appeal to those looking for content to watch on the go.
Last year, Quibi confirmed it had struck a deal with T-Mobile although the finer details of the deal remained unknown at the time. Today, T-Mobile has confirmed that customers will get access to the service free for one year. Generally speaking, this will apply to most One and Magenta customers, although those on a discounted plan might find they are not eligible for the deal. A good rule of thumb is that if an account is eligible for the ‘Netflix on Us’ deal T-Mobile already offers, then it will also be eligible for the Quibi deal as well.
The mobile-first streaming service
Unlike traditional streaming services, Quibi is focused on bite-sized content. For example, videos on the platform are not expected to ever really be longer than ten minutes. In spite of this, the content is episodic in nature and so series and even movies will be available. The difference is they will be split at the ten-minute level instead of forty-two or one-hour intervals.
While the content is short and snappy, Quibi is not holding back. It has already commissioned plenty of originals and signed up a variety of major industry names to star in or work on the content. Therefore, the service should not be viewed as a YouTube-equivalent, with content coming with a serious budget and production value.
One point to note about the deal is that while T-Mobile is offering the service free for one year, things change at the end of that year. T-Mobile customers will be able to continue accessing the service for free after the first year, although they will do so at the cost of the Netflix on Us promotion. Essentially, T-Mobile customers will have to choose between the two streaming services after the first year and lose access to the other.
For those who are not eligible T-Mobile customers, or not T-Mobile customers at all, Quibi will be available priced at $4.99 per month. This is an ad-supported plan with subscribers able to opt for an ad-free version for $7.99 per month instead.
Source: T-Mobile
Leave a Reply